Seeking Earnestly

Today, I continue with the treasure theme but with a deeper looking at how we are to seek. Psalm 63 is one of my favorite Psalms. David is away from the beauty and comforts of the sanctuary in Jerusalem. He writes this song from the wilderness or dessert of Judah. Let me give you the first eight verses below.

O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You. On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night. Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:1-8)

You can take any one of the short phrases above and soak in it for hours. One particular phrase caught my heart's attention today, "earnestly I seek You."

Now I'm no Hebrew scholar, but I do have a few resources that help me dig a little deeper into the original text. The word "earnestly" comes from a Hebrew word shachar. It is also translated to the word "diligently" in some translations. The word "earnestly" means to be up early for a task or to search for something painstakingly, earnestly, or diligently. Shachar - to rise up early in the morning and seek for something with intensity.

I've been thirty before. I can remember running out of water on boat while fishing in a fresh water lake during the hot summer. I got to the point where I lapped up water from the lake not even caring what else I might be drinking. What if I had been in a dessert? I assume if you're in a dessert and your mouth is parched from lack of water, you would go on an all-out search for water as your life may very well depend upon find it.

Jesus is our living water. As we rise up early in the morning, our soul and body (our all) should long for Him like a thirsty man in the dessert. He is our all. He is our source. He is our life. When we seek Him earnestly we will find an oasis of life.

This week, I'm leading our 1-5 grade children at Summer Music Camp here at our church. We're learning a musical entitled "Splash Kingdom." One of the songs speaks of Jesus as our Living Water.

Living water flowing down on me

I'm a believer

Rain come down, surround me like the sea

I'm a believer

Washing away my sin

Giving me hope to live again

Filling my heart with love

Bringing me strength from God above

Living water flowing down on me

I'm a believer

Rain come down, surround me like the sea

I'm a believer

Jesus the Living Water come down on me

Call His name

and then you will be saved

Jesus Christ

He paid the price for you and me

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (Psalm 42:1-2a)

May the Lord Jesus rain down upon us and surround us like the sea.